The Wall of Silver Way
by Bria1
Summary: Updated version! My computer finally works! A Tortalln noble girl discovers a mystery and finds that she may be the only key to stopping the destruction of her fief and all of Tortall. A cosmic dream, a runaway, and some other little odds and ends.
1. The Dream Once Again

~The Wall of Silver Way~  
Chapter 1  
  
I came up with the beginning of this story during a spasm of boredom during English class. I thought it deserved an ending. Please read and review!  
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The cobbled wall stood endlessly ahead, etched across the golden horizon, untouched by time. There was no wind. There was no measurable sky. In reality, there was no feeling but the impending sense of mystery that refused to be described. A gown of translucent white fluttered past my ankles. A silver tiara rested, gently, atop a web of delicate curls. My feet stood bare at the base of the the stone as the wall willed...no, dared me to follow it. Next, the walking began. The uneven path blistering my unprotected feet and preventing all thoughts but that of reaching the end. Finally, it would come. I'd reach reach the end of the path and attempt to bandage my blood-sodden feet with strips of cloth from my gown. A pond would appear. Silver in color with waters that whispered as the wind. I'd fall to my knees and reach towards the water as if to grasp the creamy liquid. My fingers would extend and just as they break the surface...  
  
I sat up. Or, as up as I could rightly be with the layers upon layers of coverlets atop the four-poster bed. Drenched in an icy sweat, my nightgown clung to my back. It was the dream. I'd had it before. The air, stone, and pond were so familiar and so real they gave me the feeling I could reach out and hold it all.   
  
Still trying to slow my breathing, I crawled from the bed and on to the floor. I welcomed the pitcher of cool water sitting squatly at my washstand. Forgetting the rug and my nightgown, I splashed the icy water on my face, over and over until I was cooler. How was it that the thick castle walls could catch a winter draft, but still be powerless to humidity? The rolling hills of fief Antequetine and all of Tortall, had been cursed with the hottest summer of the century. No peasant or king could escape the heat.   
  
There was no way sleep would return. I found a kerchief and quickly tied my too-hot hair off my shoulders. I pulled off my still damp nightgown and donned a light silk of cornflower blue. I peered out of the window once more and went over to close the shutters before leaving my stuffy chambers. I crossed the room, but with my luck, the bar was pulled behind the dret-screw and was undoubtedly stuck. No matter how hard I pulled, the wooden sill bar resisted. Why wouldn't it close?   
  
With one final heave, the bar budged and finally began to move, but then something just below the top of the mountain caught my eye. It was smoke. A thin wisp of ebony curled around the mass of trees.   
  
The ground gave a violent shudder. A fierce "bang" erupted in the distance. A crack of thunder sent animal scurrying to safely, and the entire mountain side burst into blinding flames...  
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More to come! Please tell me what you think!  
  



	2. The Mage and the Mission

~Chapter 2~  
~The Mage and the Mission~  
  
I ran from the room to the corridor that lead to the palace's eastern wing. Each door and joining hallway flew past as I counted the torches upon the wall. One...two...three torches-the mages' corridor. I had to find Master Ariol who, along with Numair Samalin was one of the few scholars attired in the black robes of magecraft mastery. Something was not right.   
  
When I passed a third window, "not right" became terribly wrong. The flame that had once thrived on an acre or so had now engulfed the entire western face of the mountain. Lodges and farms began to catch fire, radiating flashes of gold before exploding completely. A thin layer of purple dust seemed to be falling from the sky and feeding each magical fire.   
  
Ariol. The door to his workshop was in sight. Would he be able to explain this? Understand how the flames had spread? He's been my trusted friend since the first minute he arrived in Antequetine on a carriage with a hopelessly broken wheel. He had taught me how to fence and use a bow when my foreboding father had refused me the right to become a page. And though my parents were baffled by his so-called "naive notions", to me he was the only one who ever made true sense. He'd always been there...with and explanation for everything.  
  
The ground gave another violent shudder. It was all I needed to remind me of what was happening. I grasped the doorknob, pushed the heavy wood ahead...and gasped. There, sprawled across the floor at my feet, lay Ariol, buried in robes dripping with blood.   
  
"God's no!" I cried, half diving to the ground. My hand flew to the icy wrist. There was no pulse. "God's no! No! No!" The scream came over and over again, cutting the stillness of the empty passage. There was no question. Ariol de le Dequer was dead.   
  
Suddenly, the wind gave a heaving roar. A shimmering glow filled the room as the hazy form of a man shifted into focus. It was the old mage, dressed from shoulders to foot in a deep jet black. He wore the flowing robes of mastery that he had worked so hard to earn, only now they were free of the blood.   
  
"Marquerite." The voice was lower than I remembered.   
  
"Ariol?"  
  
"Yes. I am here. I'm afraid this is the best I can do. Marquerite, can you see me? Can you see where I am?" I was too stunned to speak. "It's all right, I just need you to listen for a moment." The tears could no longer stay back.   
  
"But, how..."  
  
"Hush." He pressed a finger to my lips. "This is important and I haven't much time." I drew back.   
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Now listen carefully." He began." This fire is not of natural cause. There is a plot, Marquerite, a plot only you can foil. This is your chance. You must leave the capital. Leave Antequtine all together."   
  
"Leave? But-"  
  
"You are our only chance...Antequetine's only chance." There was nothing more I could say.   
  
"Tell me what I must do." I knew he was right. Though I knew not what it was, I did know that it was my chance. My chance to leave and prove myself to the world. My chance to help and to shine and to show all of Antequtine and Tortall what the little noble girl can do. My chance to fulfill my dreams. There was no time or need for further thinking.  
  
"There is someone who will assist you." Ariol spoke once more. "She may be found atop the highest mountain of the realm in a small cave that will be invisible to the untrained eye. She has spells that your quest will be a failure without. Find her, Marquerite. Tell her you come with my blessing. She may deny you welcome at first, but on your fourth attempt of reason she will let down her guard. Do not yield. The gods are planning many things, dearest child, some not as pleasant as others, but no matter where you find yourself standing...I will be with you."   
  
Another rush of wind drove the light back into the air...and he was gone.  
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"I will not differ!"   
  
"It is time to take a stand!"  
  
Comments, ideas, and insults flew their was across the senate chambers exactly one week after the dreadful fire. To me, it seemed each senate member thought himself wise enough to manage an entire country. Fortunately, my mother had managed to keep he wits about her.   
  
"Gentlemen! This is no time for such antics! A proper solution must be reached before half of our countryside is laying in ruins!"   
  
"Pardon me," The Baron of Teline came forward, his thick orange eyebrows coming together in wrinkled frustration. "But I believe you women should keep your delicate noses out of the business of men. Such "antics" as you say are only worsened when addressed by those who have no knowledge of which they speak!"  
  
The wits were lost. " Well, pardon me when I point out how well a fief run by a female has done since it's beginning and how many problems have been occurring in a certain barony called Teline!"  
  
And so it continued. On and on, for hours until I found myself threatening to nod off into a wistful sleep. I must leave today. I decided. No more time must be wasted. And with that I found myself more awake than I had been all day, plotting my evening escape.  
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Later that evening, I dimmed the lights of my bedchamber as I began to pack. I grabbed a small, yet sturdy, cotton bag from the brearu and crammed in breeches, cotton shirts, dresses and shifts. I didn't know how long it would be until I'd see my home again.   
  
I scanned the room once more before pulling the drawstring shut and changing into skirts suitable for travel. It was time. I dropped from the first story window into the thankfully empty courtyard. I ran the distance from the palace to the outer wall and passed through the unguarded entrance. The summer air was warm, the moon, bright, and the open fields, calling to me to follow their winding paths. With one last prayer, I began my quest.  
  
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So? What do you think? Sorry about the cliff hangers and all, but I'm functioning on my muse's schedule. Chapter 3 coming soon!  
  
  



	3. The Unexpected Fire

~Chapter Three~  
~The Unexpected Fire~  
  
  


I had never felt such a freedom! At that moment everything in the world seemed to be all within reach. I stood just outside of the main castle wall, and began to follow the scenic roads rather than the larger ones that passed right through the center of the capital. I took care to make my footsteps soft as there was still a horrible chance that I could be caught. It was a chance I was not willing to take_. If my father were to ever hear of this while I was near, I would surely be confined to the palace walls for the rest of my life,_ I thought wryly. It was not a pleasant picture.  
  
Roads of brick houses lead me towards the beginning of the temple district. They all seemed so peaceful and quaint, yet comfortably lively at the same time. For a moment I found myself wishing that I, too, could reside in a house of sturdy brick and have nothing more to worry about than the cost of the drop spindles or cloth I planned to buy that day. I would have no business with the affairs of nobles and would have no reason to take worry over sillyt hings as betrothals and gowns. But that was not the way. I sighed,inwardly, but then returned to my brisk pace. I had no reason to fret. The palace was then behind me and a quest just beyond the horizon. I was ready.  
  
After two more hours of silent walking I found myself near the southern border between Antequetine and the next fief to the south, Trebond. The members of the King's Own set for border patrol paid me little attention as I entered the neighboring fief with the dawn. I could not stay long, but I knew I would be safe until mid morning.   
  
Slowly, the sleeping town began to awaken. Merchants readied the day's merchandise, guards took their posts, and families began the daily chores. It was like any other morning in Tortall. I was here, away from my home,on a puzzling mission, alone…and yet time went on.   
  
Though I had packed enough food to last a fortnight or so, the tangy smells of the town's morning meals tempted me to take my breakfast at a road side café. Who was I to question hunger? I stopped at the small restaurant. A young man, perhaps a little older than myself, stood near the entrance to the small stone building.  
  
"Good morning." I said to him. I had reached the side of the road. "I was wondering if you could spare a morning meal."   
  
Of course, my fine lady." He teased,grinning. "I'm sure my uncle wouldn't mind. This is his café, you see, but he usually doesn't get many customers in the morning." He offered me a chair near the balcony and motioned for me to sit. "You enjoy the view for a bit and I'll go ransack the garbage bin for something we can eat." He smiled again and I felt a fluttering feeling in the pit of my stomach. He turned and blew a strand of chestnut hair from his face. My eyes followed his back until he had entered what must have been the kitchen. He seemed so different, perhaps even...special.   
  
What was I thinking, I couldn't waste this time on romance…the back of my mind then answered, _not all of it anyway._ Why did he do this to me? I couldn't go all feminine now! Mentally, I shouted at myself for letting such thoughts come to mind, but in my heart I knew that maybe this quest wasn't just to put out fires. Maybe it was time to start one too…  
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Kind of short, I know. But I thought it was a good place to end. (It's my muses again) Anyway, I've been pumping out a chapter or more a day, so check back soon for chapter 4. Do you like it so far? I have big plans for Marquerite and this certain young man, both in the adventurous part of the story and the romantic part. He he he...more to come!  
  



	4. Companionship

~Chapter 4~  
~Companionship~  
  


  
I sat at the cafe for an hour, and not all of it was spent eating. The boy told the most amazing stories and I couldn't help but hang on every word that flowed from his lips. He had been born in Sancra, and had seen more than I ever hoped to see in a life time. It seemed the war-torn county had done nothing but worsen over the past decade, and he had fled to Tortall after his parents and sisters were murdered in a midnight raid. He now lived with his uncle, helping him run his restaurant and trading business until he was old enough to leave for a university.   
  
"What did you say you're name was?" I asked him after listening to a tale of a rabbit with a broken leg that his younger sister had nursed back to health.   
  
"Jon." He amswered. "After the king." He paused a moment before continuing. "You see my father had always hoped our family could live in Tortall someday. He admired the king for his firm hand and just rule. He hoped for me to someday be like him..."   
  
It was then that I realized that there was more to this merchant than met the eye. There was a story, hidden behind his hazil eyes. He sighed once again.   
  
"Now tell me. What are you doing so far from home?"   
  
I suddenly sat straighter. "What makes you say that?"   
  
"You may don cotton skirts but the way you speak blows your cover, miss. Or should I say...my lady?"   
  
'What? What do you mean? I..." I didn't know what to say.   
  
"You walk to proudly and your dialect suggests one who has been raised in the court. You can't fool me. " My mask of worry made him add, "It's alright. I just want to know the truth. I'm trustworthy, I promise."   
  
My tongue would not obey, my mind, numb.   
  
"You've heard the grueling details of my past. It is only fair I hear yours." He said this as if it settled the matter, and in my state of numbness it was enought to convince me.   
  
"My name is Lady Marquerite d Lont Cra of Antequtine. I'm thriteen years old, I've been given a quest and I've...left the palace."  
  
"Run away?" He stared quizzically at my cotton bag.  
  
"Well, not really. Someone assigned me to this task and if it is assigned and one knows of my whereabouts than it is not really running away. The only drawback is that the one who told me, well, he...alright. I ran away. And what business of yours is it may I ask?"  
  
His pondered this before replying. "That is where you are wrong, my lady." He turned toward a window with the painted blue of morning shining through it's panes. "When my parents were killed, I made a pact with myself and their souls. I would help those in need. And from your story it seems you are not the only one in need. I think I can help you, and I am of no use just staying here in Trebond. Let me accompany you. From the look of you, you could use some companionship."  
  
This I considdered. I thought of the long journey to the mountains. Would I really care to be alone, day after day? *I'll go mad alone.* I concluded, although I wasn't quite sure how sane I'd remain with Jon. But the thought of the lonliness returning from Antequtine was not one I wanted to picture.   
  
"You can come." I told him.   
  
"I'll go pack my things."  
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Sorry it's a bit short, but the next chapter is almost finished :)  



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